Reform of private sector is welcome

Like many local authorities up and down the country, we have seen family houses being replaced by informal shared housing arrangements with a high turnover of occupiers, often accompanied by unsafe conditions and poor management.

A total of 1,000 dwellings a year in this authority have been converted to this kind of use, with the attendant negative effects on our neighbourhoods and communities.

While changes to the Planning Use Classes Order with respect to houses in multiple occupation is not proposed to be made retrospective, the new requirement to seek planning permission to change a family home to a house with three or more unrelated tenants should stem further significant losses of family accommodation for this authority.

We look forward to a national register of landlords as a way of informing parties of their rights and responsibilities and raising standards across the sector.

Finally, as one of 12 authorities with an approved selective licensing designation, we welcome the consultation on providing an easier consent route to further licensing designations for the private rented sector. We support the ministerial view that decisions on the quality of rented homes should be made by local communities and their elected representatives. We believe this can lead to more appropriate, timely and democratic local governance.

Sir Robin Wales, mayor of the London Borough of Newham